


Thanks to Kindness

by coconutkapre



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Multi, modern guy in middle earth, not sure about the fili/oc yet so we'll see, why are there none of these, you cowards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 10:16:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14692125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coconutkapre/pseuds/coconutkapre
Summary: Nineteen year old Guillermo “Will” de la Rosa (or just Will Rose) is driving long into the night to make it to his new job when he almost gets into a brutal accident with a great, white elk. Deciding he’d rather spend the night in his car than drive with his shaken nerves, the boy is surprised when he’s woken by a stout little farmer tapping on his window in the middle of a cornfield! Now, Will must navigate his way through Middle Earth, meeting the characters he’d only read about in stories, and hopefully helping them escape from some nasty fates along the way. Oh yeah, and Bilbo Baggins is certainly “not” his father.





	Thanks to Kindness

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This will be my first fic, so I'm going to try and take things slow. I'm working on finding the right voice for story-telling, and I thought this might be a fun way to do it! Comments and criticisms are always welcome, and hopefully I'll be able to write some other stories as well.  
> I hope you enjoy!  
> -coconutkapre

Chapter One

It was nearly three am when Will finally decided he probably shouldn’t have tried to drive the entire west coast of the United States in a day. And for what? Just to get to some measly job that would barely have him for more than two months, but that was neither here nor there now as he turned the music a little higher as it was all he could do to keep from falling asleep. He already had the AC on full blast and his brights on as he drove down the abandoned forest highway. He hadn’t seen another car for nearly ten miles, and hadn’t seen one before that since the sun had gone down. It was quite lonely on that highway in an annoying, uneventful way that threatened to keep the boy’s drooping eyelids closed at every new road-sign. No, it was not an ideal situation, but it was far from the worst he’d been in.

The road-trip mixtape that the nineteen-year-old had made restarted for what was probably the fifteenth time, and he cursed that he didn’t listen to more music. It wasn’t that he didn’t like music, it was just that he didn’t listen to it all the time. Silence never bothered the boy, and as such he didn’t mind listening to the same songs for months on end since he didn’t wear them out right away. That made playlist making hard, however, as they usually only consisted of the music he was currently listening to which was, unfortunately, a list that only reached up to 10 songs if that. One could only listen to Mungo Jerry’s “Summertime” so many times before that boppy piano beat began to grate on the nerves. Will’s teeth ground as Mungo began to, once again, sing of good times and hot weather when out of nowhere came a sudden flash of white. Will had barely enough time to turn the wheel before colliding with whatever wall had sprung up before him, having been so focused on his own misery that he hadn’t been watching the straight and silent road before him. The wheels jerked as the tires screeched, the car speeding directly toward the redwoods as the boy slammed his brakes while trying to fight the steering wheel against the uneven ground to keep from crashing into the trunks.

Despite himself, he found his eyes wandering to the rear-view mirror. He didn’t know what had compelled him to do so, as not crashing and dying should have been his priority, but he did so nonetheless. Staring back at him, he saw a great, white elk that seemed to glow in the darkness. It stood completely still, looking directly into the mirror with eyes so dark and wise that they seemed to bore into his very core. Twigs and branches began to hit the windshield, and, just like that, the moment was over. The car skidded to a halt underneath the great green canopy, Will’s heart threatening to burst out of his chest as he struggled to get his breathing under control. Every part of his body was shaking, his limbs almost threatening to rattle right off as he clung to the steering wheel like his life depended on it. Which it had only moments before, but he could let go now he tried to rationalize in his own head to no avail, and his hands still gripped the wheel tightly, unrelenting.

As his breathing steadied, and the shaking began to subside, the boy was finally able to take in his new surroundings. Glancing out the windows, he could see the forest was more dense than he’d previously imagined, and it was a miracle that he hadn’t hit anything. Worse, he could no longer see the road, nor any trails that might’ve led to it. Glancing at the clock, the numbers three-fifteen glared back at him mockingly. Only fifteen minutes had passed by, and though he was now thoroughly awake he had no desire to drive another 4 hours with his nerves on end. Instead, Will shut the car off and tried to get as comfortable as he could in the driver’s seat, pushing it as far back and down as it could go with the extra odds and ends he had scattered in the backseat. Not willing to risk getting out of the car in an unfamiliar forest at night, he had nothing to do but pull his jacket tighter around his body as he drifted into a restless sleep.  
_________________________________________________________

There was an unpleasant tapping sound that Will was happy to try and ignore for the sake of a few more minutes sleep which, after driving for over three-quarters of the previous day, sounded heavenly. The day, however, seemed to have different plans for the boy as the sunshine hit his eyes relentlessly and the tapping continued despite him silently pleading for it to stop. Not even rolling over and pulling his meager jacket over his head could get rid of the incessant noise, and he eventually succumbed to consciousness. It wasn’t like he had the easiest time sleeping anyway, might as well get up.

The events of the previous night hit Will before he’d opened his eyes, and he groaned as he thought about the inevitable, long talk he’d have with the park ranger that was the most likely source of the impatient tapping. There was one more series of raps before the boy finally sat up, opening his eyes drearily as they slid to meet the annoyed ranger’s. Only, he was faced with nothing but short, young corn stalks. Well, corn stalks and a very angry looking pitchfork. Will’s eyes trailed down the farming tool to meet a very put-out looking, very small farmer. Having a fairly-new model car, the boy had to turn on the battery to roll down the window, and had to poke his head out the side to meet the man’s eye.

“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing parking your, uh,” the small man hesitated as he glanced around at the vehicle in front of him questioningly, “cart in the middle of my cornfield?”

“My… My what?” was all Will could manage. He was still half asleep, he’d woken up in a cornfield when he was supposed to be in a forest, the man was astonishingly tiny, and he’d just called his car a ‘cart’ as if he’d never seen the thing in his life. It was too much, and all the boy could do was stare at him dumbly as he tried to process what was going on. It wasn’t until the tiny farmer started tapping his foot impatiently that Will noticed the man’s very large, very hairy, and very bare feet. There was only one thing in the world, or out of this world, that this tiny man could have been. In fact, he wasn’t a man at all. “You’re a hobbit,” Will said plainly. Not the brightest of words, but this was hardly a normal situation.

“Obviously I am, and you are a man,” the hobbit-farmer huffed as if it was the most simple concept in the world. “What’s a big-folk like you doing so far in the Shire?” he asked, narrowing his eyes, and gripping his pitchfork a bit tighter.

“I-,” the boy began, but found himself at a loss for words. What exactly was he doing here? He was supposed to be on the highway up to Oregon for a summer job. He was supposed to be surrounded by redwoods, and grumpily continuing the last four hours of the trip to a scolding he was sure to get from relatives he barely knew when he showed up at their house a day late. “I honestly have no idea.” That didn’t seem to satisfy the farmer at all, as his tiny body puffed in annoyance.

“Well whatever you’re doing, I want you out of my cornfield! You’re destroying my crops, and I already have enough trouble with those thieving little faunts always coming ‘round here!” he was almost red in the face by the end of his little spiel, and it left Will more than a bit sheepish. He never really got used to being scolded, as he tried to avoid trouble, so he was more than a bit flustered. He nodded his head, and looked around for which direction he should drive in.

“Uhm, excuse me, sir,” the word ‘sir’ tumbled awkwardly out of the boy’s mouth, but it seemed to fit this situation, “but, uh, which way should I go?”

“What? Just go out the way you got in!” but the hobbit’s anger died in his throat as he looked around at the rest of the untouched field, confused. “How did you get in?”

“I don’t know, but I’d rather you decide how I get out. My, uh, cart will trample some of your crops. I’m sorry I don’t have any money to pay for them,” he rambled, but quickly shut up when the farmer sighed, but didn’t get angry.

“I probably have some trails wide enough for that cart, and I can take you to the Old Road that’ll get you to Bree if you head west, but you don’t seem to have a horse,” he said, resigned.

“That won’t be a problem, just lead the way and I’ll be out of your hair,” Will said. It gave the old farmer quite a fright when the car roared to life, even if the car itself was a pretty quiet model. The hobbit refused to get into the vehicle, instead opting to lead in front until they hit the larger road. Will thanked him, apologizing again and only getting a huff in response before the smaller stormed back into his farmland. That could have gone worse. At least he didn’t have any dogs with him.Sighing, Will began to drive down the dirt and cobble-stone path. Glancing down at his gas-meter, he saw that he only had a quarter-tank left and resigned to pulling into a little glade and parking, quite lost as to what he was supposed to do.

“Ok, it’s ok Will,” he said to himself, “I mean, you’re in Middle Earth with absolutely no money or plan, but things could be worse. At least you’re in the Shire, and not, like, Mordor.” The pep talk wasn’t doing much good, but it allowed him to organize his thoughts.

He was in the Shire, he knew that much. He knew where he was, but now he had to figure out when he was, as well as how he was going to survive until he could figure this mess out. At least he had some of his belongings with him from the move to his job. There were some art supplies, and at least a week’s worth of clothes as well as toiletries and other health items, and some bedding. He could manage, at least for a little while, on his own.

The realization hit him like a freight train, and soon a smile so wide was on his face that it began to make his cheeks hurt. He was in the Shire. The Shire in Middle Earth. He was really there, after years of dreaming of a fantasy that could never happen he was actually there. It didn’t matter how or why, just that it was, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t about to make the most of it.

A giddy laugh escaped past Will’s lips as he did a little dance in his seat, now too restless to sit still. The world, more importantly the world of Middle Earth, was just outside his car door, and the damned barrier couldn’t get opened fast enough. Trying to move as quickly as possible, the boy began to root through his backseat and trunk, organizing and reorganizing his backpack so that he had only travel essentials. He could come back for the rest later, but for now he was going to explore. Satisfied with the weight and content of the pack, he took a quick glance around the clearing to make sure no one was watching, and quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes. It wouldn’t do him any good to be smelling of sleep and sweat when meeting new people, and his previous outfit wasn’t that good anyway. The only things that stayed were the shoes and the jacket as he’d brought no spares.

Will did his best to shove all his valuables in the trunk, the paranoia his father taught him shining through, before locking the car and trying his best to cover it with branches to hide it from view. As an afterthought, Will tore a little piece of paper out of a notebook he had and wrote, ‘please do not touch : )’ on it. He didn’t actually think it would deter bandits or robbers very much, but someone decent might see it and be intimidated enough by the odd contraption to comply. After doing a once over of his handiwork, and gobbling down some half-eaten travel snacks, the boy was off on his own, very anticipated, very exhilarating adventure.  
_________________________________________________________

The magic had worn off. Will had been walking down the Old Road in converse for more than half an hour without seeing so much as one other living creature. Sure there were birds and bugs, but they were the same as anywhere on Normal Earth. Seems Tolkien didn’t have much of an imagination for the flora and fauna as he did the people. Not that he minded, it was a lovely walk as the air and sky was clear, but he had grown quite tired, his feet sore, and his mind bored. And, well, if he was hungry that was just the icing on the cake.

Becoming quite exhausted, as Will was very out-of-shape and wasn’t afraid to admit that, the boy decided to sit down near a little stream to rest, greedily sipping at the water and using it to cool his neck and face. He was so busy, in fact, that he hadn’t noticed the figure approaching him until he heard the firm yet friendly “Good Morning” that was sent his way. Will looked up, looking more like a startled animal than a boy reaching adulthood, and could only stare dumbfounded at the hobbit in front of him. Who was also passing him right on by, seemingly less phased by the brief interaction.

Will’s head turned to follow the confident and leisurely walk of none other than the one Bilbo Baggins of Bag End. Who had just “Good morning”-ed him and left him floundering like a fool. This was the best day of Will’s life. ‘Guess that answers the ‘when’ question,’ the boy thought to himself before springing up and rushing after the hobbit, who looked just about the age he was during his quest to Erebor.

“Uh, sorry, good morning to you too, mister…?” he let himself trail off, knowing full well that calling someone by their full name without knowing them was murder-y and weird. Bilbo seemed surprised at the interaction, but not opposed to it which was a good sign that Will hadn’t messed it up.

“Bilbo Baggins, at your service,” Bilbo answered politely, and held out a hand for the other to shake. Will took it eagerly, and gave it a few firm shakes before letting go.

“Will Rose, at yours. Well, my name is actually Guillermo Rogelio Jose de la Rosa, but, uh, it’s kinda long and hard so I just go by Will,” the boy stammered nervously. He was oversharing again, curse his wandering tongue! But Bilbo just laughed, and agreed heartily that it was a mouthful, but quite an interesting name in and of itself. Will positively beamed at the response, and soon they fell into a light and polite conversation about each others’ days and the weather. Bilbo, Will learned, was headed home from one of his walking holidays to visit his family in Tuckborough and Buckland. Will, Bilbo learned, was lost and possibly quite homeless.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next, but let me know what you think! Are sentences too long? Is there awkward wording I can work on? Hopefully I can work on this more, and maybe start some of the other stories I've been thinking of. Thank you for reading!  
> -coconutkapre


End file.
